The great white shark cattle market

Great white sharks are ferocious killing machines that sneak up on unsuspecting prey from the depths of the ocean.

But no animal can spend its entire life hunting and munching. Somehow, somewhere, the sharks must get together to mate.

Finally, we have a clue to how they do it, and it seems to involve a lot of showing off. Read more

(Image: Brandon Cole/Naturepl.com)

Strange reptiles saw heads off seabirds

Being a headsman must have been a nerve-wracking job, as it's quite difficult to chop someone's head off in one go.

Tuataras, New Zealand's iconic reptiles, have no such problem. They are known for sawing the heads off seabirds, leaving the decapitated bodies lying around to baffle passers-by.

And that's just the start of their weirdness. Each tuatara has a third eye on the top of its head. Read more

(Image: Mark Moffett/Minden/Getty)

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Don't bite: How the zebra got its stripes

Zebras are famous for one thing: their distinctive black and white stripes, which puzzled Charles Darwin in the 19th century and remain mysterious today.

We might finally have an explanation. The stripes may have evolved as a way to protect zebras from blood-sucking insects. Read more

(Image:Design Pics Inc/Rex Features)

The worm that looks like a tree

It may look like the world's worst balloon animal, but this bizarre organism is actually a worm.

It is only the second branching worm ever found, and was discovered lurking in the porous bodies of sponges off the Australian coast.

And it may not be the last: the researcher who found it says there are probably others out there. Read more

(Image: Chris Glasby)

The bird that cares for its rivals' chicks

Pūkekos are such pugnacious and intelligent birds, they are used regularly in TV adverts.

But in one respect, female pūkekos are oddly forbearing: they are quite happy to let other females lay eggs in their nests, and raise them. Read more

(Image: Ross and Diane Armstrong/Minden Pictures/FLPA)

The leggiest animal in the world

Despite the name, no millipede has 1000 legs. But Illacme plenipes comes the closest, with up to 750 legs on its tiny body.

Its overabundance of legs is just one of many peculiarities, including an ability to secrete silk-like gunk from its back. Read more

(Image: Paul Marek, University of Arizona, Tucson)

The turtle that urinates through its mouth

Yes, you read that right. The Chinese soft-shelled turtle can release urine through the walls of its mouth.

When it needs to go, it finds a puddle and dunks its head under the surface. Read more

(Image: Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures/FLPA)

The ant that dives into digestive juices

Camponotus schmitzi, a species of carpenter ant, fearlessly sets up its nest inside the cavity of a carnivorous pitcher plant.

Most ants don't go near water if they can help it, but this species is the rare exception. Its members dive into the pool of liquid at the bottom of the pitcher to drag out the dead insects the plant has caught. Read more

(Image: Mark Moffett/Minden Pictures/FLPA)

Bug with a self-propelling corkscrew

It's difficult enough to learn to swim, but imagine doing it without any arms or legs.

That's what the Synechococcus bacterium has to do. It doesn't have the "propeller" that most mobile bacteria do.

But it may have a secret engine: a giant bendy straw running the length of its body. Read more

(Image: Terry Beveridge/Getty Images)

The first animal with ovaries on the outside

Most human males will attest that having one's testicles on the outside is a major design flaw, particularly if they've just been kicked in these delicate organs.

So spare a thought for Allapasus aurantiacus, a newly discovered species of acorn worm. The females are the first ever discovered with their ovaries on the outside of their bodies. Read more

(Image: Greg Rouse, 2007)

Wolverine frog fights with retractable spikes

We don't normally think of frogs as vicious animals. They're too soft and squishy, and inclined to make ludicrous burp-like noises.

But male Otton frogs are the exception, often getting into vicious fights that leave them scarred and bleeding.

They are well-equipped for it: they have retractable claws stashed in their "thumbs". Read more

(Image: N. Iwai)

The fish with its genitals on its head

Phallostethus cuulong is a newly discovered priapiumfish. Dispensing with the conventional arrangement, it carries its genitals under its chin.

The males have a backwards-facing nozzle for dispensing sperm. This nozzle comes equipped with a frankly dangerous-looking serrated saw, which males may use to hold onto the females. Read more